KATU: PSU political science professor gives his take on President Trump's border wall address

President Trump made his case for a border wall in an address to the nation Tuesday night. That was followed by a Democratic response. But Portland State University political science professor Chris Shortell isn't convinced the American people were paying attention.

"I don't think it's moving anyone in any direction," he said. "These kinds of televised addresses have limited impact in general, and when we look in polarized environments, the research shows those effects are even less."

The address may have been treated more like a spectator sport, with viewers tuning in to support whichever team they're rooting for.

"People who already agreed with President Trump still agree with him," Shortell said. "Those that didn't agree with him still don't agree with him."

With both Republicans and Democrats still trying to assign blame, Shortell warns that government shutdowns have never proven to be a good idea for political purposes.

"This has not been a successful strategy in the past," he said.

Regardless of how the shutdown ends or who is assigned the blame, Shortell believes the squeeze on affected agencies is starting to get tighter.

"These are the kinds of things that are going to start to impact very powerful interests, and I think the pressure to do something is going to be huge," he said.